“Hey, cutie! How was school today?”
“Good! Daddy showed people how to make a sling with a bandage thing, like if someone has a broken arm or, like, a sprained wrist or something like that. And he also explained all the important stuff to do when there’s an emergency, like how you’re supposed to call 9-1-1, and then find an adult as soon as possible. Andthenhe talked about…”
I listen to his chatter as he pulls me into the kitchen.
Evan smiles, leaning over to kiss me. Leo skips over the table, where colored pencils are scattered in every direction.
“Dinner smells good.”
He winks. “You smell good.”
“I smell like corporate America.”
“Mmm, my favorite.”
I roll my eyes, but lean in to kiss him again.
“Love you,” I murmur against his lips.
“Love you,” he echoes softly.
At that moment, the sliding door to the balcony opens and Hale comes inside. He breaks into a smile when he sees me, but then is immediately pulled toward the table by Leo, who needs to consult him on what color to make the bird he’s drawing.
The final piece of the puzzle slots into place when Noah comes wandering around the corner from the pantry, a bottle of wine in hand.
“—dude, I know you said the corkscrew was in the plastic bin in the pantry, but I don’t think it is… oh, hey, beautiful.” Noah pauses to wink at me. “Fancy meeting you here.”
At the table, Leo bursts out laughing. He’s the only one who is still entertained by the ongoing joke, but I’m just glad Noah has such an eager audience for his goofiness.
And so the evening goes on, a magical version of normal that I am grateful for every single day. We eat together at the table, taking turns tonight trying to make the most realistic bird calls for Leo’s amusement. Noah, of course, wins that game easily.
Soon after, Evan disappears to get Leo ready for bed in their section of the house, and I head to the kitchen to start cleaning up.
Before long, Noah is close behind me and his hands are sliding around my waist. Hale steps in close beside me, turning off the faucet and brushing a strand of hair out of my eyes.
“You know,” Hale murmurs. “We all still have a few hours before we have to be at the station.”
“Is that so?” I smirk, tilting my head to the side as Noah pulls my collar aside to press a kiss to my neck.
Hale ducks his head and captures my lips in a heady kiss. Noah nibbles and kisses my neck, caressing my waist and palming my breasts through my clothes. I’m sandwiched between them, trapped in utter bliss, when we hear a quiet chuckle at the entrance to the kitchen.
“Started without me?”
I turn to look over my shoulder, where Evan is grinning at us. I reach out a hand for him, beckoning him forward, then twist my head to kiss Noah deeply.
Things heat up fast. It’s been a while since all three of them have had a chance to enjoy me at the same time, and with Leo being an even heavier sleepier than Hale, I know they’re eager to take advantage of this.
So, leaving the after-dinner mess for later, I lead them down the hall toward my room and shut us away in our own little paradise.
Later, when I walk them to the door and kiss them all goodbye, I watch them head off into the night.
I’ll wait for them happily, knowing that I carry their love with me.
Four hearts in one home, and a future that only gets brighter as the days go by.
And in the morning, they’ll all come home to me. They always do. Just like they always run toward the fire.
The End
